Other Planes
There are other planes of existance in Poketale. These planes are almost impossible to get to for normal adventerers but you never know where the story might go... The 9 Hells The Nine Hells are the home of the terrible race of immortals known as devils, twisted Pokemon and people. The hells are housed within a tormented world called Baator that is clouded in ash and smoke. Within this fuming orb lie cauldrons of lava, bitter seas of ice, and cities of scorching iron. Each hell (except Avernus, the first) is a buried continent, a cavern of tremendous size. Each lies deeper than its predecessor. Nessus, the ninth, is a fiery rift at the center of the devils’ planet-sized dominion. Some hells are fiery, some are bitterly cold, some are poisonous mires, and some are cruel fortresses— but all are terrible beyond mortal endurance, and only the greatest and most foolhardy of heroes dare venture within. Powers of the Nine Hells Countless legions of devils, twisted Pokemon and people who start to mutate from the nature of Giratina's power, are imprisoned within this cavern world. Each layer is governed by one of the Lords of the Nine. Most of the lords are archdevils, unique devils of great power, humans and incredibly intelligent Pokemon who have been given the appearance of their lord's own armour surrounding their forms, both potent yet equally restrictive. Archdevils too weak or disloyal to rule a layer of their own serve as viziers or vassals to one of the Lords of the Nine or languish in disfavor and exile, waiting for the chance to supplant one of their betters. Archdevils are the dukes and princes of the Nine Hells, and they constantly scheme and plot against their peers in a never-ending quest for more power. Alastor dreams of displacing Giratina. Euryale loathes Alastor. Harpy hates Kroni, who in turn plots his revenge against Giratina. Giratina fears no single lesser archdevil (except possibly Alastor), but even the Prince of Nessus dreads the day when the other archdevils unite against him. Giratina carefully fosters rivalries and distrust among the other archdevils to prevent such a day from ever coming to pass. Beneath the archdevils are the ranks of the infernal hierarchy. The Nine Hells are highly organized, and each devil has its own place that corresponds to its own personal power. The mighty pit fiends, having long shed their natural appearance, are the barons and nobles of the Nine Hells, each sworn to the service of one or another of the archdevils. War devils are the generals and captains of the Nine Hells. Brazen devils are elite guards, pain devils are torturers and jailors, spined devils are lowly scouts and messengers. Every devil has its place. The archdevils reward lesser devils that excel in their duties by transforming them into progressively more powerful forms through agonizing rituals. Elemental Chaos No traveler to the Elemental Chaos could mistake it for any other plane or world in the infinity of existence. The “ground” might be bare elemental rock, hardening magma, a smooth sheet of ice or glass, or a field of jagged crystals or crumbling ash. Above, mountains of stone drift through the air or float on currents of lightning, while storm clouds collide with sheets of flame. Not far away, the ground comes to an end—a sheer cliff drops into an infinite abyss, or a river of magma cuts across the landscape. Another island might drift nearby, perhaps far below or just above—but sometimes on a collision course. The resulting cataclysm annihilates both landforms and creates something entirely new. Thanks to the chaotic nature of the plane the Pokemon grow to be just as strange. Most of them turn into the manifestations of the element that they reside in and you are likely to encounter giant versions of Pokemon you thought you knew on Illith. Navigation The Elemental Chaos can be hard for adventurers to navigate, accustomed as they are to a world with a relatively level surface, consistent landmarks, and a defined north. Parts of the Elemental Chaos can be traversed on foot—vast rock slabs, ash fields, mineral plains, and ice sheets form extensive landscapes that hold plentiful opportunities for adventure. Others demand more exotic modes of transportation. Flying mounts are popular and reliable means of getting from place to place among the jumbled elements of the Elemental Chaos. Mundane Pidgeots brought from the natural world can reach a monastery built on a floating earthmote, or find a dungeon tunneled into a mountain of ice. Hardier steeds such as Charizards, Skarmory, or Yanmegas—are better able to navigate the hazards of the plane. Inhabitants of the Elemental Chaos There are many sentiant races that live in the Elemental Chaos and have been shaped by its raw energies. Efreets Efreets the single greatest force in the Elemental Chaos contributing to stability amid the entropy. Prime examples of how a strong will can impose its own order on the Elemental Chaos, efreets have built lasting wonders. Their greatest achievement, the City of Brass, is a permanent still-point in the tempest, miraculously immune to chaos storms and even the entropic energies that surround primordials. The city’s gleaming domes and minarets are unchanging and eternal. Efreets are easily the most subtle, conniving, and cunning creatures in the Elemental Chaos, comparable to the devils of the Nine Hells. They trade in slaves, so heros might try to liberate someone, or attempt to escape from slavery themselves. Accustomed to getting what they want, efreets sometimes employ adventurers or thieves to acquire items they desire but can’t buy. An adventure might find the heros at an efreet’s service, in competition with another efreet’s hireling to retrieve a certain item first. Alternatively, the characters might be the victims when an efreet’s fancy turns to an item in their possession. The important role of servitude in efreet society also suggests ways to use these monsters in adventures. Most simply, an efreet could be the unwilling servant of another villain, bound by honor to serve against its will. The player characters can fight and kill it just as they would any other monster, but they might also bargain with it. They could promise its freedom in exchange for whatever help it might be able to give without violating the terms of its servitude. If, in classic legendary fashion, an efreet is bound to an item—such as a magic lamp—characters might be able to turn the tide of a difficult battle by finding and seizing that item (it is probably not just sitting out in the open). Either negotiating with an efreet or finding its “magic lamp” could be a skill challenge set in the middle of an ongoing combat encounter that pits the characters against the efreet and its current master. Genasi Genasi are elemental humanoids with numerous legends surrounding their origin. Perhaps they were first created as a slave race by the efreets, or perhaps they descend from humanoids who came to the Elemental Chaos from the natural world ages ago. Or they might be the creations of a long-forgotten god who sought to break the Elemental’ hold over the Elemental Chaos. Genasi are highly adaptable denizens of the Elemental Chaos, gifted with an adventurous spirit and an unquenchable sense of wanderlust that have over the eons scattered the race across the entire plane and beyond. Genasi are most commonly found in the streets of the City of Brass, many of them bound as slaves and servants to powerful efreets. Others eke out modest livings as traders, artisans, laborers, and guides. Githzerai Githzerai are not particularly numerous in the Elemental Chaos, but they are similar to the efreets in that their settlements are among the rare places where the Elemental Chaos is tamed. Unlike the efreets, the githzerai are not native to the Elemental Chaos; they are natural humanoids who migrated from the world in ages long past. Their communities exert a stabilizing influence over the surrounding pandemonium. Individual githzerai spend time at the settlement boundaries where that influence ends, studying the Elemental Chaos and learning to counter it. Githzerai settlements are not generally welcoming to outsiders, but travelers in need of aid are more likely to find it from these humanoids than from other inhabitants of the Elemental Chaos.